©International Anesthesia Research Society. Unauthorized Use Prohibited. INTRODUCTION Upper airway patency is essential for normal respiratory function. The maintenance of a patent airway is dependent primarily on the pharyngeal structures. In some individuals, there is a loss of this airway patency from collapse of pharyngeal soft tissue, and interruption of airflow occurs during sleep. Obstru...

Epiglottitis in the adult can be fatal and should be treated with the same degree of concern and suspicion in respect of airway patency as in children. We present three cases of adult epiglottitis in which the airway was lost prior to or during the intervention of an anaesthetist. We suggest that an emphasis on conservative management is distracting and belies the serious nature of this disease.

Choke points and airway wall structure in expiratory central airway collapse are poorly defined. Computed tomography, white light bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound, vibration response imaging, spirometry, impulse oscillometry, negative expiratory pressure, and intraluminal catheter airway pressure measurements were used in a patient with cough, dyspnea, and recurrent pulmonary infections....

Endobronchial tuberculosis refers to tuberculous infection of the tracheobronchial tree. Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion since symptoms are attributed to co-existing pulmonary tuberculosis and airway lesions are not detectable on chest radiograph. While computed tomography and bronchoscopy are useful for the evaluation of tracheobronchial stenosis or obstruction, goals of treatment...

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare condition related to holoprosencephaly in which bony overgrowth of the medial process maxilla narrows aperture. CNPAS presents neonates with signs upper airway obstruction ranging from mild severe respiratory distress and failure thrive. Surgical intervention indicated after failed conservative measures generally includes temporary s...

Tracheobronchial injuries (TBI) are highly fatal, and early diagnosis and repair are crucial for survival. The anesthesiologist and the surgeon must secure the integrity and patency of the airway for these cases. These injuries remain infrequent, and are becoming less fatal due to the availability of the resources necessary to achieve a secure airway, and thus some of them can be managed conser...

Although they are extremely effective in maintaining tracheal and subglottic patency, T-tubes themselves can result in airway obstruction from plugging. Many practitioners educate patients on placing a small (5.0) endotracheal tube (ETT) through the tracheal limb of the T-tube if they develop airway obstruction. Unfortunately, this can be a difficult task to complete during acute airway obstruc...

A central neuronal network regulates airway functions from the nares to the bronchioles and is an integral component of a regulatory system for brain control of breathing and airway patency during wakefulness and sleep. This network, components of which include sleep generating sites and monoaminergic neurons in particular, is characterized by reciprocal interconnections, parallel organization,...

Hypoxic episodes can evoke a prolonged augmentation of inspiratory motor output called long-term facilitation (LTF). Hypoglossal (XII) LTF has been assumed to represent increased tongue protrudor muscle activation and pharyngeal airway dilation. However, recent studies indicate that tongue protrudor and retractor muscles are coactivated during inspiration, a behavior that promotes upper airway ...